Cardiology Is Not for the Fainthearted

Jim Harnish gets down to the hard work of renewal in "Cardiology Is Not for the Fainthearted," which is chapter five of You Only Have to Die: Leading Your Congregation to New Life. The theme verse for this chapter is essentially "The road is hard that leads to life"(Matthew 7:14).

He has a hunch that "many long-established churches fail to experience the vitality that the New Testament envisions for them simply because they are not willing to face the struggle, feel the pain, or pay the price for new life"(p. 45). He goes on to cite Leighton Ford's observation that "any long-established congregation that gets serious about finding God's mission and vision for its future is headed for . . . 'a collision course with conflict'"(p. 46).

That is not news that any of us are prepared to receive gladly. Nor are we likely to be thrilled with how Jim Harnish describes Hyde Park United Methodist Church in Tampa, Florida, upon his arrival there. It was, he writes, "a warmhearted congregation that had deep appreciation for its past, was foggy about its mission in the present, and lacked a guiding vision for its future"(p. 47).

I am not sure that you could describe First United Methodist Church in Hutchinson with much greater precision. To be sure, we have a sense that we are to be involved with our community, we are thoroughly United Methodist, and we have taken to heart our litany of hospitality that

"Wherever you are on the journey of faith, wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you are welcome here. In this church, in the presence of God, you can be who you are; you can be any way you are; and you can be loved."

Beyond that, our primary goal seems not to do anything that might upset anybody or rock somebody's boat. We place a high value on at least superficial harmony. We may well exemplify Harnish's contention that "as long as a congregation's mission is vague or undefined, people can get along pretty well by pretending that the church is what they believe it to be"(p. 47).

The issue at Hyde Park Church was around two issues--theology and denominational identity. Harnish relates in some detail how he dealt, for better or for worse, with these issues. He includes a summary of the ways in which he really blew it. He tended to take things too personally. He let the critics get to him. He didn't always go to the source of conflict. He shared too much of himself with the staff before he could fully trust them.

On the other hand, there were some places where, by God's grace, he "got it right"(p. 54) He felt the pain when people chose to leave the congregation. He gave up trying to play the critics' game. He turned to his friends. He asked forgiveness. He listened to the "mature saints" with which the church was blessed. He paid attention to the church's history. He tried to keep a sense of humor. He increased the consistency and depth of his personal spiritual disciplines. And, perhaps most importantly, he held on.

Our issues are more nebulous at First United Methodist Church. The primary one seems to be a pattern of longterm decline that seems to resist any and all efforts thus far to turn around the situation. For years, I thought that working harder or speeding things up would inevitably lead us to turn the corner. But that has not been the case.

Along the way, I have made my share of mistakes. They include:

1. Assuming when I first arrived that people knew what they were doing.
2. Trusting people who said they had the best interests of the church at heart.
3. Believing that things would get better, if I just waited long enough or worked hard enough.
4. Not identifying my own expectations or assumptions clearly--either to myself or to others (especially to staff).
5. Hoping for the best without doing anything differently.
6. Wanting to avoid--or at least to postpone--conflict.

On the other hand, there are some things that, by God's grace, I think that I am getting things right.

1. Learning to say what I think and believe.
2. Feeling the pain of others' actions and attitudes, including painful departures.
3. Using a sense of humor in helpful and healthy ways.
4. Being active in colleague groups--both for learning and support.
5. Letting people experience failure and disappointment without accepting it for them.
   
6. Discovering that I have value in who I am--regardless of others' expectations of me.
7. Asking forgiveness.
   
8. Hanging in and hanging on.

With God's grace, there may yet be other ways in which I am getting it right!

Congregational cardiology, Harnish concludes at the close of this chapter "is not for fainthearted pastors or lay leaders who are only interested in maintenance ministry"(p. 59). If God is truly calling a congregation to transformation, Harnish contends, you can count on four things:

1. There will be conflict.
2. You will make mistakes.
3. God's grace will be sufficient for you, and God's strength can be at work through your weakness.
4. When the transformation happens, it will be more than worth the price you paid! (p. 59)
   

As we re-vision the purpose and direction of First United Methodist Church, we need to be clear about what the process will involve.